Saturday Night Live has continued its hot streak of cold opens skewering President Donald Trump.
The newest episode kicked off with a sketch featuring James Austin Johnson as a medicated Trump taking a press conference aboard Air Force One, joined by breakout star Ashley Padilla playing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Johnson’s Trump lashed out at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, addressed the newest pictures from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, and acknowledged the U.S.’s recent seizure of an oil tanker in Venezuela before announcing to reporters that he was “targeting suspected drug planes.” He then showed footage of Santa Claus’s sleigh, complete with reindeer and sleigh bells ringing, being taken out by a drone strike.
“Was that Santa?” one reporter asked, leading Trump to fire back: “Not anymore!”
The sketch ended with Padilla’s Leavitt telling reporters that the president needed to rest after taking both Ambien and Adderall.
“Oh, it’s true. I have to begin my pre-bedtime self-care ritual, putting a bandage on my hand and covering it with makeup, then adding more layers of bandage and makeup,” Trump said. “It’s a medical lasagna. Mamma mia! We should all be very worried about my health, I’m very ill. Then I will brush my teeth before drifting off and dream about Karoline’s mouth.”
Viewers were quick to praise Johnson’s impression of the president, which he has regularly shown off on the show since he was cast as a featured player in 2021. One social media use wrote on X, “That dude is spot on with his Trump impersonation.”
“James Austin Johnson’s Trump is comedic genius, but it’s so indistinguishable from the real thing that I’m viscerally repulsed,” one added. Another chimed in: “How has JAJ not received an Emmy for his portrayal of Trump yet? He’s incredible; more like Trump than Trump himself, lol.”
Last week’s cold open skewered Trump for appearing to fall asleep at meetings and teased his apparent bromance with Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City.
The December 13 episode was hosted by actor Josh O’Connor in his debut on the comedy sketch show as he promoted his new movie, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Lily Allen was the episode’s musical guest, marking her second appearance on the show. The episode was season 51’s penultimate installment before its winter break, with next week’s episode featuring Ariana Grande as the host and Cher as the musical guest.
